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The newly released Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban games are based on the book of the same title by incredibly wealthy English author, J.K. Rowling. The third chapter of this series, published way back in 1999, chronicled Harry's continued adventures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, shifting the story from a very fanciful, wondrous air towards a darker, and more serious tone. The video games are timely, however, in that they coincide with the weekend release of Alfredo Cuar¿n's big screen take on the story. You can't compare this video-game version of the story to the novel or the film, but taken on its own merits, there may be enough here to entertain the younger fan who just can't get enough Harry Potter.

For many, the third book in the Harry Potter series is a favorite, for it introduced some incredibly rich characters and fearsome foes, including the terrifying escaped prisoner Sirius Black, the ghost-like soul-sucking Dementors, and the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Professor Lupin. Sadly, character development isn't a big factor in this game, although there are in-engine cutscenes spread liberally throughout. The cutscenes do make a good attempt at conveying the three protagonists' personalities, mostly thanks to the solid voice acting and faithfully rendered cartoon likenesses to the child actors who portray them on film.

The character models look great.

For the first time in the game series, you'll be controlling all three of the Gryffindor trio at once, alternating between them on the fly, much as you would in a squad-based tactical game. Bespectacled Harry Potter, red-headed Ron Weasley, and book-smart Hermione Granger each have their own specialties, and you'll need to swap between them to get certain tasks accomplished. Harry is the most physically capable of the trio, and can leap and climb better than his friends. Ron, obviously learning from his troublemaking siblings, is skilled in detecting secret doors and digging around for things that don't belong to him, mostly earning you additional Bertie Bott's Everyflavor Beans, which are used as currency at his brothers' joke shop. Hermione is smaller than the other two, and can slip into places they can't, while also being adept at spells that the others haven't mastered.

Each of the three students eventually learns unique spells, and you'll find that they all pull their own weight, especially in combat sequences against multiple opponents, where you'll see the constant blue flashes of Flipendo spells being cast as you do your best to fight off the enemies. Teamwork is necessary. For instance, you'll need the combined leverage of all three students to lift heavy objects and move them into place. You'll also catch breaks from the standard block-pushing and lever-smacking puzzles, and engage in magic combat, some stealth sequences, or drag a companion around after being struck down. There never really comes a challenging moment, though, with constant tips from your companions and them even appearing on-screen to guide you along the way.